â—EWS of a NEW WOâ—… FROM The WORD and WORKS of God Compared together Evidencing that the Times of the Man of Sin are Legally determinâ—… and by the same Right the Days of the Sâ—N of MAN are already Commenced Being some Account of Eight Sermons Delivered at a Lecture in London Whereto for further Evidence are Added Two Small Tracts The One touching the Times of Gog Magog the other touching the 3 last Vials By J. S. Psal 102.13 Thau shalt rise and have mercy upon Sion for 〈…〉 to favour her yea the Set time is come LONDON Printed for Francis Smith at the Elephant and Caâ—… near the Royall Exchange in Cornhil 1676. If this be true as here our friend divines The promis'd morning-star appears and shines Which will us guide into the Land of peace Where errour sin and death shall wholly cease Added by his Friend Panagathophilus The PREFACE Candid Reader WAving all Apology for the neglected garb of the ensuing Discourses which being not pen'd before they were delivered owe their preservation from oblivion and their seeing the light in this way only to the value that some of the hearers put upon the subject and import of them which moved them out of their own notes to prepare this copy of them Waving also a particular account of the special arguments of the several sermons which by a continued series of evidence pursue that one scope of the nearnesse of the approach of the Bridegroom beginning first with the computation and calculation of the prophetical periods both in Daniel and the Revelation and thence discending to the signes given by our saviour Mat. 24. and thence proceeding to the days of the Son of man spoken of Luk. 17. shewing the complexion thereof and that probably these days are begun offering evidence thereof from the ancient Tipes and thence taking into consideration the Vyals and shewing contrary to the sense of many the probability that six of them are poured forth whereby a great stumbling block is removed out of the way of our faith and hope of the Lords coming being so near I say waving all these and referring the Reader for satisfaction to the discourses themselves I shall discharge the pâ—rt of this preface in 5 short notes on that text Is 52.7 how beautiful upon the Mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings of good that publisheth salvation that saith unto Sion thy God reigneth where we see 1. That the sum total of those good tidings or tidings of good things that the eares of the whole creation desire to be blest withall the substance the crown of that peace that salvation that every creature without stretched-neck waits and looks for is the reign of Syons God the reign of the Lord Jesus this man shall be the peace when the Assyrian shall come into our land when he shall tread in our palaces Mich 5.5 The Assyrian by a metonymy is the head-enemy comprehending under him every subordinate enemy or evil that shall be found at last upon the place afflicting the Israel of God at Christs coming which must receive their Discharge by the exercise of his regal power the reign of Christ Syons God and king is that visible and glorious state of Christs kingdom in the earth with reference to a set appointed time for its commencement and continuance when he takes to himself his great power and reign Rev. 11.17 as the great and only potentate king of kings and Lord of Lords 1 Tim. 6.15 which time is immediatly without any Interregnum to take place from the expiration of Antichrists times measured in the Revelation by 1260 prophetical days which when they began and ended and so by consequence when the days of the son of man began is calculated in the ensuing discourses these days of the Son of man not beginning with Christs personal appearance but with Daniels 45 prophetical days at the end of his first number of 1290 days ch 12. which 45 days or years as I humbly conceive are that generation spoken of by our Saviour wherein all these signes that are immediatly to precede his personal appearance are to come up in view and receive their accomplishment and in the rear of them the Lord himself will as I humbly expect and believe appear in person By this stating and bounding of Christs reign those â—…es and acts of his mistical and spiritual reign all along 〈◊〉 great and glorious soever in the overthrow of Judaism and heathenism and wasting the man of sin are shut out 〈…〉 account as amounting to no more but the keeping up 〈…〉 in the world during the militant state of the 〈◊〉 called the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ Rev. 1. but not yet making these enemyes as the chaff of the summer threshing-floor to be carryed away with the winde and no place found for them as they must be Dan. 2.35 which is the work of these days of the son of man This is my sirst note upon these words upon which I have been something long I shall be briefer in the rest My 2d is this the peace the good things the salvation of Syon and the reign of Sions God commence together this arises also clearly from the text no other no earlyer messengers bring good tidings or publish peace to Sion then those that say unto her thy God reigneth there is a two-fold appearance of Christ testifyed of in the Scriptures the first as past the second to come each of them have their proper and distinct work and efficacy assigned to them we are said to be reconciled by his death saved by his life Ro 4.10 which life is his second appearance Heb. 9. last till his second appearance we are saved only in hope Ro. 8 24. Gal. 5.5 The second appearance it self is but in hope to this day then must all the fruits and advantages of it be so too how doth this endear Christs second appearance it self to us how should it make us watch to it long and cry for it come Lord Jesus come quickly our actual and compleat salvation depending in it which till then is a mystery then and not till then will be the glorious manifestation of the sons of God then will a full and glorious account be given of every letter and title of the glorious hopes and priviledges of the state of believers in Christ of those glorious things that are spoken of the city of God as their being not in the flesh but in the spirit their not sinning nor being able to sin their being the righteousnesse of God that those that live and believe in Christ shall never dy with many more which now are mysteries but then the vision shall be made so plain that he that runs may read it this is my 2d Observation 3ly The manifest glory of the Lord Iesus breaks forth out of the mystical state of it as out of a cloud silently secretly and unawars even to the surprize of Sion her self else what
make these tidings these publishings what need of them if to tell no more then was obvious and what Sion knew before it must be some unexpected news that makes these messengers so welcome their feet so beautiful Babylon was taken at one end three days before Belshazar knew of it the Jews were as men that dreamed when God brought back their captivity thence having either forgot or not studyed the promise The times of the man of sin may expire and the days of the son of man may commence and yet both their partyes may be ignorant both of the one and of the other in which sence that kingdome of God is said to come not with observation 4ly It is the gloriousest Testimony in the world to publish the reign of God nothing makes the feet of any messenger so beautiful as the bringing of these tidings the making Evidence of the drawing near of this day The very eye of the prophets testimony in the Old testament was Christs first appearance the glory of the prophets testimony under the New Testament is Christs second appearance Lastly the first notice of these blessed and joyful tidings is given to those that are upon the Mountains and by thâ—m are divulged and published to their fellows that like and with themselves have left the City Babylon ye and earthly Jerusalem too Luk. 21. that have forsaken the multitude that are on the mountains as doves of the vallies Ezek. 7.16 lamenting after the Lord as in Samuels days looking for his appearance such whether in Churches or out of Churches as mourn for the absence of the Bridegroom embracing mountains and desarts in spirit rather then sitting down in any buildings of men waiting for that building of God that Heavenly Jerusalem that hath the glory of God that are uneasy and cannot take up in any state of things that can corrupt to the joy of these will the Lord appear by these are these tidings brought to such as these they are sent and to every one of these they will be highly wellcome Wherefore now with the noble Bereans search the Scriptures whether these things be so you have the scales here put into your hands the Epocha's pitcht the Calculation made ready to your perusal the signes of the times opened the dark Characters uncipherd the types and ancient paralels applyed the series of the Apocaliptick visions and many of the Sinchronisms set before you what of them is fulfil'd and what yet to be fulfilled In reflection upon all which I may say with soberness without vanity and arrogating any thing to my self who for the light here offered am the greatest debtor of all that many Prophets and righteous men have desired to see these things to see such evidence of our redemption drawing nigh but have not been favoured with it And if upon perusal of the evidence you find it so as is reported that we are come to the days of the son of man and are so far entred upon them then for a farwel be admonished of this one thing that as these days of the son of man are days of great expectation wherein all things that are to precede his glorious coming are to be fulfilled and that before this generation passe away so they are and will be found to be days of great temptation and tribulation to the last even till the Lord appears in person from heaven therefore as the expectation should make us lookup and lift up our heads and concern our selves about these things with a more then Ordinary concern for that as they are great so they draw nigh and according to our concern will our fruit be in this day so the temptation calls us to more then ordinary circumspection and watchfulness therefore our Saviour inculcates that warning so often in speaking of this day and that to his disciples laying before them the danger if they do not and the safety and advantages if they do Luk. 21.34 35 36. ch 12.35 36.37 38 Mark 13.33 to the end of the chapter And where the Lord shews such a concern as he doth about this watching there to think that watching and not watching will come to the same reckoning argues a great slieghtness if not a profaneness of spirit Though ye be believers as to the main and your part in heaven cannot be taken from you yet ye may lose your part in these days and may be removed in some displeasure and so lose the honour of serving in the works of these days the honour of being of the number of the watchers by whose decree in association with the Lord the great watcher of Israel that great tree is to be grub'd up whose body is hewn down before Never are men yea good men in more danger of sleeping then when sleeping is most dangerous as we may see by the disciples whose eyes were never so heavy as when their Lord was in that bitter agony Wherefore to conclude if these be the days of the son of man set these days always before your selves to comfort and support you in all shocks and dangers say as he said Caesarem vehis fortunas Caesaris they are Christs days and Christ will have the day of all his enemies And bring these days and hold them up before the son of man call him to his own days ye that are the Lords Remembrancers such should all believers be keep not silence give him no rest till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth it is his work but it is our interest say if these be the days of the son of man then let the son of man appear in his day The sword of the Lord and of Gideon the faithfulness of Christ and the faith of the saints must be in association and then the like wonders will be done as in the day of Midian when the host run and cryed and fled The First Sermon Luk. 12.35.40 Let your loins be girded about and your lights burning and ye your selves like unto men that look for their Lord when he shall return from the wedding that when he cometh and knocketh they may open unto him immediatly c. IN much of this Chapter our Saviour is discharging his disciples and followets of worldly cares which is a very merciful consideration of our Lord who as he knows that we have need of these things so he also knows how great a burden and hinderance the care of these things are unto us how they do let and hinder our speedy following after him Now in order to this he administers several considerations ot them to discharge their cares by the ordinary providence of God towards all his creatures even towards the very plant which he suffers not to want his moisture and the poor sparrows the providence of God watches over them but after all these considerations the Lord brings a powerful one in consideration for good and all and that you have in the 33. verse fear not little flock it is your fathers
your selves I fasten upon that like unto men that wait for their Lord when he will return from the wedding I have told you formerly it is part of my witness and testimony which else is a poor broken thing but I say it is a part of my witness and testimony that the saints are the inheritance of Christ the riches of the glory of his inheritance is to be seen if you will take a survey and account of it you must behold it in the saints I have also delivered in this place that it is Christs spiritual and powerful coming and appearance in the saints that is the gteat object of our expectation and that which must do our business for us It is not his appearing in the clouds it is not his coming down upon the earth and manifesting his glorious visible person that will do our work if his spirit be not at work in our hearts if he doth not come in a glorious manifestation of his spirit within us it is that that doth and will quicken us now and make us live the life of faith and it is that that must quicken us at the last day and raise our bodies out of the dust and make us live the life of glory And that we may reconcile the personal appearance to and wlth his spiritual I told you that the personal appearance of Christ is the glorious ministry that shall call up the life of his spirit in his people that lyes bound there as in a sleep this is by way of preface to that which I would observe at this time Ye your selves liko unto men that wait for their Lord now that which I would observe is this that the great care and concern of the Saints that live in those times that are upon Christs coming should be that themselves may be prepared that themselves may be in all things like unto men of such a hope and expectation Our work is to have it brought home to our selves mark ye your faith must be grounded upon this coming which I understand by having your loins girded about and your profession must be shining which it may be many are apt to think is concerned chiefly in their Church-administrations but this is not all but you are to look to your selves to the frame of your hearts and spirits look to your selves you your selves If this had not been something more then your loins girded about and your lights burning it had been a kinde of tantology and repetition therefore there is an Emphasis to be put upon this your selves not your loins only not your expectations only nor only your profession Christ holds your selves a distinct interest from other men well but what are your selves what are your spirits you may cloath a man with the habit of a prince yet may he be far from the spirit of a Prince and from the true worth of a Prince profession is but a habit and many men wear other mens cloathes and appear in a splendour and equipage that doth not at all belong to them look and see what they are within and alas you will find them full of rottenness and dead mens bones and therefore you your selves look to your selves and why should men look to themselves but because your selves are the great interest of the Lord It is not your way nor your profession but it is your spirit that is the Lords bride and that is his Bride chamber into which he will enter that when he knocketh you may open to him that is the great business your spirit is the Lords Bride and the Lords Bride-chamber Now what are we to look to in our selves why first let us look that we be in nothing unlike unto servants that look for their Lord I tell you there were no end if we should begin to shew the unlikeness where do you find a likeness to such servants what unlikeliness is there even in the Churches Our Saviour tells us what is unlike viz. to be overcharged with surfetting and drunkenness and the cares of this life this is unlike such a day such a hope such an expectation Now what is the surfetting and drunkeness there spoken of surely our Saviour I conceive would not suppose that surfetting and drunkeness in the letter was chargable upon professors and I wish that many professors were not too much tainted with this even with gusling and drinking from one Tavern to another and from one good meeting to another but there is another kinde of surfetting and drunkeness you know what the Apostle says be not drunk with wine wherein is excess but be filled with the spirit this drunkenness is set in opposition to the spirit wine to the spirit From whence I gather that whatsoever hath the form or appearance of spirit and is not spirit all that is cautioned in that place to be abstained from I remember the saying of a good man that came from a meeting as we may be his report was this that they were so drunk he meant not that they were drunk with wine but Drink with their gifts self-sufficiency this is surfeting and drunkenness and I wish with all my soul that they that do profess the Lord and those that think they are on the upper ground and have the advantage of others that they would take heed of this surfetting and Drâ—nkenness of surfetting of their forms of their attainments thinking they are come to Sion because it may be they are come to the letter of a poor administration Though alas as it is managed amongst many if not most at this very day alas it is a meer Babel the one sayes it is thus and another sayes it is thus whereas I tell you I am not against any of them I am not against the Baptist nor against the congregational way that do baptize their children the Lord doth bear them both and he is able to make them both to stand but this crying out Lo here this is the way and the others crying on t Lo that is the way whereas it is the right spirit in each that is that will justify each administration and except there be the unity of the spirit maintain'd in the bond of peace I tell you our Churches are a meer Babel and yet there are among them that do maintain this unity God forbid I should think otherwise There is a seed among the Churches that are of the large spirit and do not set up themselves over Christ but shine forth according to the light communicated to them therefore I lay no burden upon them But I say this surfetting and drunkenness is opposite to the very expectation of Christs coming alas are we so full now are you so well are you so happy what do you think that the New Jerusalem will be only snch a kind of thing as your Church-fellowship is that it will set the crown upon the head of your form and your way are you where you would be so as that you are at rest you
carry back the people the flocks under their charge into Egypt again and bring them under bondage again this is the darkning of the sun in the Ecclesiastical orbe and state this is the sinful darkning of the heavens And this brought on the penal darkness which I think we are all sensible of when God did let those that had sinfully or through sinful infirmity been prevailed with by temptations to darken themselves and to draw sackoloth over the sun the light of the appearance of God in which they come forth then the Lord suffered them by their own divisions and by their weak foolish and heady mannagement of things to pul down their own walls to break down their own bankes and pull up their own hedges and to make way for the old bondage and the old corruptions to break in upon them this was the Lords penal darkning of the sun It may not be so expedient for me to be particular in these neither may it be needful because the sence of every one of us can readily prompt us and supply us with more particular enlargements and sad experience can shew that the Lord did remove and take away or suffered to be removed and taken all the light that did remain instead thereof most unsavory snuffs do fill the candlesticks and all places from whence the people of God in their civil and religious things should be fed either with judgment or instruction Brutish pastors are come up that feed not that care not for the flock a dark sun in the firmament in the stead of the true sun and of the chearing and refreshing light of judgment and justice and righteousness we might be large in these things but I shall rather leave this to your own enlargment in your own thoughts Now one word of the dispensational darkness of the sun there is a dispensation of God upon us and his dispensation is holy and it doth aim at the greatest advantages the greatest good to his people that ever any dispensation did travel of or bring forth And that the prophets are very full of that tell us the Sun shall be ashamed and the moon confounded when the Lord of hosts shall raign in mount Sion Esai 24. Do not think that the weakness of men your friends or the malice of men your enemies could whelm you under such providences such disappointments as these are if the Lords hand had not been in it if it were not for good the Lord would not take away the light of the sun the light of our eyes from us but that he might give us a better light a light that should be as that of seven days And therefore in this case we may reflect upon the swanlike song of John who closes his eyes and gave up to the Bridegroom with this consolatory consideration He must increase but I must decrease this he spake in the name and person of his administration and of his work And so says the prophet the day of the Lord says Esay shall be upon every thing that is high because it is that that will wonderfully exercise us when it is therefore the holy ghost enlarges upon it that so you may see it to be no other then what was in prospect in foresight And in that chapter there is a particular instancing in all those glories that shall be darkned and brought down before the Lord. If you ask upon what account I state it I answer It is upon this old aneient constant account all the comings forth of God they have as well supplanted and removed that which hath been before that is their first work For flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God It must be removed the old bottles cannot bear the new wine and therefore there must be new bottle for the new wine and I pray you in the taking of this in understand that it is no more nor no less then a first creation-glory that is removed Let it be found where it will in Church in ordinance in duty in gifts in ministry first creation-glory must all go down that is the reason that it hath not held it I believe we have had in our days as great a tast of first creation-glory and that in good men in Saints who I believe are in heaven yet I say their work was much in a first creation-spirit and it was too weak it could not hold out for the law makes nothing perfect and I tell you there is much of the law hangs still upon us in all our Church-work yea in all our duties I need not tell you your duties have been shaken I believe you have felt it but the reason is because you are not holy and unblamable in love but in fear and in bondage what is that that puts you upon all you do but times and seasons therefore I say so far there is a shaking and there will be a terrible shaking I will end with that Scripture in Ezek. 38.19 v. Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel in the land of Israel shall be a shaking as I told you before even the land of Israel shall not be exempted though it is all for Israel it is for the service of Israel that this shaking is that so that which cannot be shaken may remain I cannot now shew you what work this calls for from our hands if we be drawn from under these signes and recovered but I tell you there is no recovery till the Lord appear you will find this darkning will spread over all the christian and Antichristian world and it will not be long for we are upon the midle of the morning watch of Daniels last 45. days after the 1290. days The Third Sermon Luke 12.35.36 Let your loines be girded about and your lamps burning and ye your selves like unto men c. WHat the Apostle Peter sayes of the Gospel preached by the Prophets that non unto themselves but unto us did they minister may be said of the Evangelists in the present subject that we are more concern'd therein then those primitive times and that these times we are now in border very nigh upon Christs coming which gives great force to the exhortation this I have endeavoured to evince two wayes 1st That the time that was to run out before Christs second coming is fulfilled namely Antichrists time or the days of the man of sin are expired the beloved disciple John in his Revelation begins his account of the 42. months from the passing away of the heathen world the heathen Empire which though it began to be dissolved at Constantines coming to the throne which was about the year 310. yet was it not wholly blown off the stage until about the year 390. when that famous defeat was given to Eugenius the general of the heathen forces by Theodosius the Emperor after which time Heathenisme never displayed banner in the field more So that from that time I begin the 42. months of
are to be looked for the darkning of the Sun and the like the place where these do give forth their voices It must be in a place that is most noted most eminent that is the very eye of the world or light and purity and reformation there it is that these signes must give forth their voices It is not in any part of the world it is not in Egypt it is not in Babilon but in Iudea in Ierusalem I say it is it must be in those places it must be that eminent sun that must be darkned that is as I may say the sun of the world the sun of the age this is the sun that must be darkned Then 2ly it must be in such a time too in such a juncture when the sun hath as I may say recovered his light and is in the greatest freedom hath dispelled and scattered the clouds and mists and shins forth more clearly it must be at such a time that it must be darkned and I suppose I need not apply these two qualifications to shew you that they may be discerned upon the signes that we have had that there hath been such a place and at such a time too there hath been such a darkning of the sun Therefore now to proceed if these signes have given forth their voice among us why then these are the days of the son of man the days wherein he is preparing wherein he is making ready for his expedition he is bowing the heavens as I may say to come down amongst us And the Lord grant that we may have a sanctified use of these warnings of his I must profess to you that I bave believed and therefore have I spoken I cannot get over these things in my own spirit I see such Progidies such prodigious times and perils such prodigious wickednesses and violence I see such impieties of the whole world the filthyness of Sodom the daring wickednesses of this age even egging and provoking the Lord down from heaven to judgment as if he did not make hast enough I see I say me thinks the age putting forwards themselves as if the stage would not be cleared fast enough for the Lord to appear they are driven upon self-destroying wayes and courses by a judicial hand these things are very notorious and visible I suppose to your eyes and observations as well as mine Nay to express it a little further we see the powers of heaven shaken we see foundations pulled up we see the very earth and the inhabitants thereof dissolved Merchants and others breaking nay what do we speake of them kingdoms breaking Churches breaking and are you asleep are you not a ware that these are the days of the son of man and which is indeed no less a signe then all the rest we see such a sleep such a lethargie upon most even the wise as well as foolish virgins nay we see now that night is for a vision unto the prophets and the sun is gone down even at noonday so that men do ask Watchman what of the night what hour of the day is it or what of the night and few there are that do see or take notice that these are the days of the son of man and that the coming of our Lord is so near as indeed it is And this is as great a signe as any for so we are told it should be who is blind as my servant and who is deaf as the messenger I sent seeing many things but thou observest them not and hearing but thou understandest them not Incase 40 or 50. years ago a man should have laid forth that which we have seen with our eyes and heard with our ears if a man I say should have laid them forth in lively colours of their own acting you would not have stuck to have said and concluded immediatly that these led the way to Christs coming But I say that fate that is upon us of hesitancy and darkness and blindness that we do not understand the signes while we are under them is of it self one of the greatest signes For when he comes shall he finde faith on the earth And Daniel hath told us that the wise shall understand but the wicked shall not understand well let me come now to make some improâ—…ent of this If these be the days of the son of man we may look for the fulfilling of all that is promised and I tell you that if these be the days of the son of man limitted for the performance of all before his personal appearance there is but a little time yet to come and therefore I say we may look for these births to come very thick one upon another those great promises of the destruction of all Christs enemies and the gathering of all his elect bâ—…th Jews and Gentlles from one end of the heaven unto the other But that which I desire to speake to at this time is a word to our selves or the Lords people that we may be ready if these be the days of the son of man and that there is determined such a darkning of all glory all first-creation glory and that such a consumption is decreed upon all the earth then it concerns us to look to our standing Those that have the name of Christ the affaires and interest of Christ in their hands as the Churches inspecial pretend to have It 's said that the moon shall be confounded and the sun ashamtd when the Lord of hosts raigns in Mount Sion therefore I say it concerns us If I were now to speake to the Churches but it may be the Churches may hear what I say I desire to deliver my testimony without any just offence to the Churches But I must speake and I think the Lords interest doth require it it concernes the Churches to look to themselves and their work and to consider what it is they build whether it be that which will stand in the day of the Lord. It is true the Lord hath owned the Churches against darker forms and I have been of the number of them that have blest the Lord for his owning the Churches They have stood to their principles they have kept up their meetings and God hath been with them in this thing but let them take heed least their table become a snare and least this success and owning that they have had from God turn not to their hurt because they have born up against the day of man let them not think they can bear up against the day of God there is a day that will search them although they have stood the shock of their enemies and persecutors The Machabees were owned by the Lord in their days but the successors of those Machabees who were under the 2d temple fell before Christ though they were owned against the heathen These successors were the scribes and Pharisees men exceeding zealous of the law I say they were the successors of the Machabees That which I am jealous of is
ascention there was 40. days wherein he was as I may say preparing himself for his ascention to heaven I might give you twenty Parallels of it but now I come to the application of these things to these days and as for the standing up of Michael that is the first thing I would assume that Michael is raised up Michael hath stood up for several years if others in other parts of the world do question this yet we in those parts have no reason to doubt of it it is much if we are not convinced of it of the Lord Jesus his standing up and addressing himself to promote and serve in his own and his Churches interest above all interest and all kingdoms of the world that interest of the kingdom of God that hath lain hid in the faith of the Saints and in the promises unto this time if you say what evidence can be made of this it is a question not becoming those that have seen the great works of God as we have done have we not seen Michael standing up have we not seen him rousing himself have we not seen three nations bowing in his name have we not seen an heaven and an earth passing away have we not seen a dissolution of the Church and state have we seen all this and do we question whether Christ hath set a foot his title or no you know that kings when they are proclaim'd in this land they begin in the Palace yard they are not all over proclaimed in one moment So I say the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ is to be a rising and a growing kingdom of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end and why may we not say that this Island or these three nations may resemble the palace yard where Christ is first proclaimed he hath been brought to the Ancient of days by clouds of witnesses who have pleaded his interest with God you know it hath been the subject of the saints prayers these 30. years yea nothing hath relished upon the spirits of the saints that hath not related this way if Christs kingdom hath not been at one end of it it hath been no prayer no sermon if it have not had that at one end of it yea hath not the Lord Jesus exercised his kingly power hath he not made many overturnings hath he not dealt with many Adonijahs how many would have set themselves up in his room This is the account of all these quick revolutions these overturnings this is exceeding declarative of his being near whose right it is I shall therefore conclude with a word of use or application and it is this Let us lift up our heads for the day of our redemption draws nigh I have already formerly once and again told you that these 45 days from the end of the 1290. days spoken of in Dan. 12. are that generation as I conceive in which our Saviour says all things shall be fulfilled for so were the generations from David to Christ those 14 generations 43 years one with another So in those 45. days in Daniel wherein Michael shall stand up Daniel is told that all should be fulfilled in that time and I say these times began in the year 1650. and we are now in the middle of them we are very forward and I do more suspect my self for the setting my post too far off from Christs appearing then of setting it too near I say I more suspect my self for that and the Lord knows i.e. if you subdivide this last watch or space of 45 years into lesser watches in which of the watches of this last watch he may come in the second or in the third watch but we are neer to it let us look up and lift up our heads You see what evidences have been given of these days Obj. But if Christs coming be so near would the times be so evil may some say I answer was not Sodom at the worst when Christ came with the other two Angels to destroy them and so the old world Yea but you will say the people of God would be better then they are if Christs coming were so near Answ They shall be made better by his coming the summer spoken of is the very appearing of Christ you know that when the trees puts forth summer is night but it is the appearing of Christ is the summer would you have fruit before summer your fruits are growing in the winter and in the spring they are coming forwards but you have not your fruit till the summer Christ is preparing his people by the present dispensations and they shall shine but all that Christ doth now is emptying work cleansing work as when a man pulls down his old house in order to building it anew Christ is removing house and he is taking away joy from the earth the old joy trade is going the joy of the earth and the very husbandman may loose the fruits of the earth this year And if you look within O what desolations are there alas though the Lord give us our wits and our sences yet we hear of one in one place under a spirit of dispondency Gods fire is in Sion in this day and his furnace in Jerusalem and there is none of us but have our back burdens if it be but being companions of suffering ones it cannot but go to our hearts this is the sowing time yea but you will say possibly Obj. There is a promise of the spirits pouring forth and therefore these cannot be the days of the son of man I answer the spirit is not the first grace the leading grace as in those promises made to Israel in the letter of bringing them back to their own land Ezek. 36.24.32 They must be in their own land and setled there before the spirit is poured forth lest they should reflect too much upon their own qualifications least thy may be ready to say it is for our reformation that God hath visited us Therefore will the Lord at he t last as at the first take his people in their blood and in their unworthiness Obj. But you may say we see nothing of the Jews being called and Antichrist destroyed Answ Antichrist hath but a mystical destruction till Christ comes and there will be a Pope for ought I know till Christ appears but his time is legally out and determined and when a time is out what is done afterwards is an usurpation and Antichrist shall pay dearly for all at the last But as for the Jews it is a material objection we cannot look for the appearance of Christ till they come in though on this occasion let us be aware that there is a mistical Jew that needs to be turned to the Lord as well as a litteral Jew but as to the litteral Jew though we see him not come in yet we know not how soon we may for it shall be very suddenly a nation shall be born at once mark the expression
proportion to the glory of his person and his spirit now in the 2d appearance then a sed a little dark sed doth unto it's plant or tree Do not think your Saviour will be seen by you as in the days of his flesh no he will come in the glory of his father what do you think your Saviour to be is he not God as well as man he will come in the demonstration of his Godhead and what shall be hard or unpossible unto Almightiness it self he spake the word and they were created Thus will God plant the heavens and lay the foundations of the new earth even by the word that he hath put into the mouths of his poor witnesses in sackcloath when he shall appear to back this testimony Oh! how will this living word back this testimony and how will it kindle and set on fire the foundations of the mountains and whatever doth cover this glory when the Lord gave the word great was the company that published it not only the Angels but every creature shall take the word and publish it and transmit it to the very end of the world I will give you but a little demonstration of it and that is from all your experience look what power the hitherto appearances of Christ have had in and upon the world upon the saints in the world Christ dwelling in their hearts by faith what great things hath it done see what those worthies did by faith in Heb. 11. By faith Enoch was translated through faith they subdued kingdoms wrought righteousnesse stopped the mouths of lyons quenched the violence of the fire women received their dead raised to life again c. Now faith you know is but seeing at a distance but when Christ shall draw near when he shall hold forth himself immediatly to the soul oh what a glorious power shall we be sencible of from thence so if we should reflect upon revelations what great things have revelations done ye know when Paul was by the revelation of the Lord as he says 1 Cor. 12.3 taken up I knew a man in Christ says he he was not sencible whether he was in the body or not as much as to say I was not concern'd about that now this is all that I would say unto you I would have you to understand me aright it is not only a bodily sight of Christ that I drive at though that shall also be and the bodily eye shall be able to take in the glory of his body and person But there is an intellectual sight of Christ taking him in by spiritual sences Christ is God as well as man and this is that I would only say that the sight of Christ is the power whereby we are changed into the similitude of Christ by a true sight of him in the spirit in the glory of his spiritual person this is that which will transform and change us so that we are changed after a divine manner I say it is not by any methods or ways of the creatures acting I cannot put you into a way and tell you of such a process as your Chymists do that you must proceed thus and thus no but I say it is his exhibitting of himself in a clear light upon the soul enables it to copy him forth as I may say and to be brought forth into the same similitude Vse first let us bear up under our present unlikeness unto Christ truly the present unlikeness is made many times more unlike by temptations which God sends upon his people and by desertion as if they were not low enough by the general common and constant attendants of the fall God so dispences his people many times as to fall into deeps and darkness that they have no sence of what they were or of what they are or of what they shall be bear up under these for there is a day of brightning promised And my second word is this it is Christs work and not yours you are passive in it and under it pray what do the heavens do to their own enlightning but lye under the beames of the sun when the sun which knows his time ariseth and comes forth into the firmament Let this comfort poor souls that are concerned for holyness that are concern'd for the image of God and likeness unto Christ Let it comfort us for the Church and for the whole creation all which have promises first the first fruits the Church first and then the world first the dead in Christ are to arise every one in his order now I say that is our hope and our hope is laid upon our Lord Jesus and upon his appearing and therefore do not dispond do not say how shall this be done consider but the word in Phil. 3. chap. According to the power whereby he is able to subder all things to himself I tell yon there is no such power in matter or in body as there is in spirit the Lord Jesus Christ he changes us after a spiritual manner we are changed by the spirit of the Lord that spirit which works in an instant therefore it is said in a moment or in the twinkling of an eye My second Use is this Oh! travel travel in the knowledg of Christ and in the discoveries of Christ oh wait to know Christ and to have him open'd and revealed to you in the Scriptures and by the spirit in all the means you are under I say wait for this when we shall see him as be is we shall be like him Oh! it is nothing but the hiding of Christs glory from us that makes us to partake so little of his glory because I live ye shall live also the very sight of his life will import life unto us so the sight of his glory will put glory upon us for when he shall appear we shall appear with him in glory The Eighth Sermon Luke 12.35.36 Let your loines be girded about and your lights burning And ye your selves like unto men that wait for their Lord when he will return from the wedding that when he commeth and knocketh they may open unto him immediately I Have been long upon these words but the subject is very copious which will excuse me my aim in first pitching upon them was both to acquaint my self and you I say that we might all of us be acquainted from the Lord and from his spirit amongst us with that preparation that becomes us for the Lords appearing to this end I have spent much of my time in holding forth to you the grounds of my expectation of the Lords coming to be neer very neer begining with the signes which our Saviour himself gives us of his day in handling of which I was cast upon that phrase of the days of the son of man which I endeavoured to clear up unto you that they did hold forth a tract of time from the end of the beasts term which we meet with in Rev. 13. where we fynd it precisely limitted within
Churches and states oh how have we seen them disordered we have seen a first heaven and a first earth passe away though you may say it is come again yet there was a dissolution no man can deny but that is not all the dissolution continues and it works still the interest of the kingdom of God works in the bowels of all interests and of all affairs as it is manifest at this day why we see there is no glory is able to hold it long but it waxes dim it passeth away it is but like the mushrom that runs up in a night and but for a night or like Jonahs gourd as we are told it shall be before the day of the Lord. What dissolutions have there been in Churches how hath one glory of things risen up after another and passed away every one of them they have had their day in Churches in gifts in administrations in discoveries I tell you the heavens and the earth are visibly passing away If you should follow it to the affairs of men in the world why you will finde it there what breakings of trade what confusions are there I tell you the very joy of the earth is gone and except it be in a sew that are resembled by the gleaning after harvest as you have it in Esay 24.13 Except it be in a remnant that have hope in God there is no joy in the earth when thus it shall be in the midst of the land among the people there shall be as the shaking of an Olive tree and as the gleaning grapes when the vintage is done they shall lift up their voice they shall sing for the majesty of the Lord c. and as it is Esay 30.29 They shall have a song as in the night I grant there is such a song as in the night in a dark season when all things are dark round about us there is a song as in the night which these gleanings have I mean this poor remnant which God says in Zephany 3 12. he will leave he will leave an afflicted and poor people they sing indeed in the spirit but alas as to all outward things they mourn as well as others they see all things to be sinking and dissolving so that all our rejoycing is in hope is in spirit I say moreover if you will consider as indeed we ought to do there is not any particular providence towards any of the saints but there may be an intimation in it of Gods visiting the rest of their brethren therefore I say study the times and study the dispensations of God to your own particulars and see what light you can finde for this is that which will be exceeding helpful to you in the work of patience Now having thus opened patience what it is I come now to the second particular And that is the requiring of it how it is required of us and with this quality Let patience have her perfect work what is this work of patience and the perfect work of patience why you know that patience is a work it self it is the work of faith the tryal of your faith worketh patience says the Apostle Jam. 13. and tribulation worketh patience Rom. 5.2 now patience hath a work too a work of its own and patience experience and so the one worketh or begetteth another all along and hope maketh not ashamed now mark you here all that follows from the first work that tribulation worketh patience all the rest is the work of patience the perfect work of patience it works experience patience is to make us experienced Christians this you know results naturally from patience from the long enduring of tryals going through many of them many for kinde and many for number we have great experience there by as a traveller that hath gone through many countryes he hath gotten great experience thereby having undergone many hardships and tryed several tempers of people he gets experience now this is a great accomplishment unto a man and we commonly mention it as a very great honour to a man for a man to be greatly experienced this is part of the riches of a Christian you will stand for a man of experience in point of Physick the practise is the thing that enables a man most to do good and to answer your end so it is with a Christian it is part of his riches and of his glory experience David was such an experienced Christian for they are all Christians that did believe in Christ to come but I say he was so experienced a Saint that you could not turn him to any thing but he was able to answer you saying God was with me in such and such circumstances I was able to encourage my self in the Lord my God So I say we have not only all the experience of the Saints that are gone before us but God will have us have a treasure of our own experiences this is a great matter But then secondly this perfect work of patience let patience have her perfect work indeed I had rather sum it up in the general and have you particularise at your leizure and as God shall bring them into your minds in your reading of the Scripture and in your spiritual race I say this same perfect work of patience is the perfecting of a Saint and making him an absolute piece in whom nothing can be desired more this is imported or implyed here in those worâ—s let patience have her perfect work nay further it 's exprest that ye way be perfect and entire wanting nothing So that it should seem that patience doth sustain or supply the place and do the part as I may say of all manner of tools to the polishing and perfecting of a faint there is the rough plain where with you plain at the first and after wards the smooth plain when the roughness is taken away all is in this work of patience I tell you there is a great deal to be done in a Christian to fit him for that glorious converse with Christ in the new Jerusalem and therefore you reade in Revel 19.7 the marriage of the lamb is come that is good news you will say bnt mark what is joyned with it the Bride hath made her self ready his wife hath made her self ready the Apostle tells us that flesh and blood cannot enter into the kingdom of God alas we have been looking for the kingdom of God but when it did draw a little near unto us we were as fit for it as a child is to mannage the affairs of men and therefore the kingdom of God withdrew from us alas we were not fit for it flesh and blood cannot enter into the kingdous of God What is the meaning of flesh and blood there It is not meant that men in the body shall not enter into the kingdom of God for they most certainly shall we shall not all sleep but be changed it is not a putting off the body but flesh and blood in
consider that I desire to draw out my heart to you it is the greatest comfort I have when I finde weaknesse in my self I have a great desire to live to see the glorious time of the Church and when at any time as the devil is wonderful busy to cast in his fiery darts and discouragements into the soul when I finde I am either assaulted with a sudden fear or that I cannot see how that little vigour and strength I have should hold out I finde a great deal of comfort in reflections of this nature that the Lord is more concern'd in and for me then I am in and for my self and whoever can do so shall finde and feel the benefit of it hath not the Lord given his son for me and he that gives his own son how shall be not with him freely give us all things are we not his peculiar treasure then I say leave your selves to God and say look thou to it we may with a holy freedom say to the Lord look thou to it it is not for us though we are to serve the providence of God and the publique yet it is Gods concern he is to look to it cast it upon God but 3ly A third consideration is his I have told you once and again and now also that I cannot bring tho time neerer the time of our hopes then I have done but yet consider this this time that is yet to run out before that very period comes wherein he is pronounced blessed that waits comes to that time I say those times that are to run out will be filled with wonders and with glory that shall give strength unto us from day to day from year to year to await the end to the last issne for although it is not said that Daniel shall stand in his lot until the end of those days and then it is promised he shall ye I say there may goundedly be an expectation of higher more transcendent and wonderfull works of God that shall entertain his people during their watching and waiting for you know who is there that needs watchers at any time but will provide them entertainment during their watching they shall have strong-waters or something by them and so shall the Lords people you will say what entertainment shall we have I must tell you I look upon the 45 years as well night half expyred which is the time in which Christ employs instruments for the throwing down of the remainder of his enemies throughout this whole western world and the Eastern too the great Turk the whole seat of the 4th Monarchy all the enemies in these two Empires the Eastern and the Western Christ takes this time to bring them down and wonderfully brought down they must be and come to their end this abundance of Scriptures tels us he will shake heaven and earth and the desire of all nations shall come and so he says in Joel he will gather the heathens to the vally of Jehoshaphet and so Zach. 14.3 But in Revel 16. you read that at the pouring forth of the 6th Vyal the great river of Euphrates shall be dryed up he is drying up Euphrates at this day and this will be a glorious work to see how Christ gets ground of his enemies and how the house of Saul grows weaker and weaker indeed it would be very little comfort to see destruction and desolation if the new state did not put off the old state as the old nail gives way to the new or as Jacobs supplanting Esan though that new state is not to be seen vulgarly or visibly yet the saints finde it coming on in the spirit and this if you be reasonable men will satisfy you God will satissy his people ere he hath done and it is your mistake if you are not satisfyed with this way he takes so did Israel dig up fouutains and their rock followed them The 4th consideration is this that if we did understand things aright we should rejoyce with all our souls it would turn to us for a testimony that the Lord holds us in so long suspenee being an argument of the greatness of the transcendency of the things that are promised otherwise God would not exercise his people so long in the wayting for them think you that God will exercise his people with waiting for a trifle Esa 64.4 From the begining of the world men have not beard nor perceived by the ear neither hath any eye seen besides thee O God what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him if you expect Christs glorious kingdom any otherwise you will be mistaken there is no common or ordinary thing in that day expect nothing but wonders things that are to put your faith to it to acknowledge them when they come to passe that you will be ready to say are we in a dream as when the Lord brought back the captivity of Sion this is that which makes our patience so lame we represent the kingdom of God in such a pittiful poor way and manner what is the utmost glory that men present it in why that it will be a time of pure ordinances and the ministers shall recover themselves with their people alas alas is this all is this the kingdome of Christ I saw no temple there God will bring his people to immediate converse with himself they shall see eye to eye God intends to bring his people to a state without sin past this state of infirmity I confess men may give such an account of Christs kingdom that may not ballance the charge or trouble of working it about Do you think that God would have suffered Paradise to fall but that he had a better state to bring forth Do you think that the temple had been suffered to miscarry but that he had a better state to present Do you think that the primitive state had been suffered to decline but that he had a better state yea better then the Apostles better then the Prophets We see say they through a glass datkly but in that day Christians shall be known to whom they belong you know a waterman by his badge the name of God shall be written in the foreheads of his people If you look for any thing but wonders in that day you will be mistaken things being working to that issue I say you will see wonders One word more till Christ comes in person let us emprove his spiritual presence with us which by promise shall never be taken away And I tell you as I have told you formerly it is the spirit of Christ in the Saints that is the power by which they shall be changed Christs personal appearance from heaven bears a part it is the glorious example to which we shall be conformed and it hath a ministry likewise of enouragement and strengthning it will call up our faith and the life of the spirit into exercise in us but they must both meet the shout of our faith with the shout